Filtering face mask that has a resilient seal surface in its exhalation valve

Active Publication Date: 2007-03-13
3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES CO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]The filtering face mask of the present invention differs from known respiratory masks by providing its exhalation valve with a resilient seal surface onto which the valve flap makes contact when a wearer is neither inhaling nor exhaling. Use of the resilient seal surface on the valve seat of the exhalation valve can enable a more rigid, yet thinner flap to be employed in the valve. Use of such a flap can allow the valve to open under substantially less force or pressure. And since the force that is required to open the valve is generated by the wearer's breathing, t

Problems solved by technology

When wearing a face mask in a contaminated environment, wearers are generally comforted with the knowledge that their health is being protected, but they are, however, contemporaneously discomforted by the warm, moist, exhaled air that accumulates around their face.
The greater this facial discomfort is, the greater the chances are that wearers may temporarily remove the mask from their face to

Method used

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  • Filtering face mask that has a resilient seal surface in its exhalation valve
  • Filtering face mask that has a resilient seal surface in its exhalation valve
  • Filtering face mask that has a resilient seal surface in its exhalation valve

Examples

Experimental program
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Effect test

Example

Example 1

[0086]A valve was constructed by fitting a resilient O-ring in a valve body that was machined from steel. The O-ring was made of nitrile rubber material that had a hardness of 1.76 Mega-Pascals (MPa) as determined by the nanoindentation Hardness Measurement. The circular cross-sectional diameter of the O-ring was 1.59 mm, and it had an inside diameter of 20.46 mm. The O-ring was positioned using a metal alignment ring, integral to the steel valve body and concentric to the valve orifice. The inside diameter of the valve opening was 19.32 mm. This opening defined the flow area of the valve when assembled. The O-ring was mounted in the valve body, as shown in FIG. 5, so that no gas leakage around the outer perimeter was permitted during testing. A PET (polyethylene terephthalate) valve flap having an elastic modulus 3782 MPa and being comprised of a rectangular portion of 23.82 mm×20.26 mm (with a half circle end of 23.82 mm diameter) was fixed to the valve body so that it e...

Example

Example 2

[0087]A valve was produced by applying a thin coating of a resilient material onto the seat of a rigid valve body of a commercially available valve assembly. The valve body used from the commercially available valve is described generally in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,325,892 and 5,509,436 to Japuntich et al. and is a component of a valve employed on a commercially available facemask, model 8511, available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. The hardness of the valve body, as received, was 52 Mpa. A valve seat of the invention was prepared, using the valve body as received, by coating the seat area of the valve body with an elastomer. The elastomer was applied to the valve body using a solution of a dissolved elastomer. The solution was prepared by blending 80 g SBS rubber, Finaprene 502, Total Fina, Plano, Tex. with 1.6 g Pigment, SL14642436, Clariant Corp., Minneapolis, Minn., 1.6 g surfactant, Atmer 1759, Unichema North America, Chicago, Ill., 248 g Toluene, and 8 g Acetone. The mat...

Example

Comparative Example 1

[0088]A valve assembly from a commercially available face mask was evaluated using the Flow Fixture, and the Leak Rate, Valve Actuation Power, and Valve Efficiency were determined with the results given in Table 1 and FIG. 7. Hardness of the valve seat surface was also determined and is reported in Table 1. The configuration of the valve is described generally in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,325,892 and 5,509,436 to Japuntich et al. and is used in a valve body employed on a model 8511 face mask, available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. The valve body had circular orifice of 3.3 square centimeters (cm2) disposed within the valve seat. The valve as received was assembled with a flap that was clamped to a flap-retaining surface that was about 4 millimeters (mm) long and that traversed the valve seat for a distance of about 25 mm. The curved seal ridge had a width of about 0.51 mm. The flexible flap remained in an abutting relationship to the seal ridge under neutral conditi...

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PUM

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Abstract

A filtering face mask 10 that has a mask body and a new exhalation valve 14. The mask body is adapted to fit at least over the nose and mouth of a person to help define an interior gas space when the mask is worn. The exhalation valve 14 permits fluid communication between the interior gas space and an exterior gas space. The exhalation valve 14 has a valve seat 20 and a flap 22. The valve seat 20 includes a resilient seal surface 24 and an orifice 30 through which exhaled air may pass to leave the interior gas space. The flap 22 is mounted to the valve seat 20 such that the flap 22 makes contact with the resilient seal surface 24 when the valve is in its closed position and such that the flap 22 can move away from the seal surface 24 in response to an exhalation to allow exhaled air to pass through the orifice 30 to ultimately enter the exterior gas space. A filtering face mask that utilizes an exhalation valve that has a resilient seal surface can enable the valve to open under substantially less pressure, which, in turn, may improve wearer comfort.

Description

[0001]The present invention pertains to a filtering face mask that utilizes a new exhalation fluid valve to purge exhaled air from the mask interior. The valve has a resilient material on its valve seat to allow the valve flap to make good contact with the seal surface when the valve is in its closed position. The valve is particularly suitable for use on a filtering face mask because it can provide a good seal when closed and can also contribute to the rapid displacement of exhaled air from the mask interior during an exhalation.BACKGROUND[0002]Persons who work in polluted environments commonly wear filtering face masks to protect themselves from inhaling airborne contaminants. Filtering face masks typically have a fibrous or sorbent filter that is capable of removing particulate and / or gaseous contaminants from the air. When wearing a face mask in a contaminated environment, wearers are generally comforted with the knowledge that their health is being protected, but they are, howe...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): A62B23/02A62B9/02A62B9/06A62B18/10
CPCA62B18/10A62B18/00C01P2004/20
Inventor MARTIN, PHILIP G.XUE, JIANXIAN
Owner 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES CO
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